IN THE NEWS CENTRE we
report news of global interest that relates to the Anglican Communion. Sometimes we write news articles ourselves. More frequently,
we refer you to some article we have found elsewhere in the world. We focus more on news reported about the church than by the
church. New articles are also referenced in our Noted This Week section. We depend on you
to tell us about news where you live; here's how to contribute. It is unusual for us to mention news items that contain phrases such as 'youth gather', 'bishop calls for', 'releases report on', 're-envisions', or 'synod debate'.

Simon Sarmiento, our UK correspondent, maintains a list of more specific
UK-oriented news articles as part of the Thinking Anglicans site. There you can
find items we might not normally link at Anglicans Online.

1 March 2015: Australian Diocese of Newcastle to sell its BishopscourtThere are two Diocese of Newcastle in the Anglican Communion. One is in England, and one is in Australia. The Newcastle Herald (Australia) tells us about the progress of plans to sell the diocese's Bishopscourt house, traditionally the home of its bishop. The AU$4 million that it could bring is seemingly too valuable to pass up.

1 March 2015: The remote little church that's a big thorn in the side of housing development
The Bucks Herald (UK) tells us about the little church in Buckinghamshire, vacant for decades, whose historical status is preventing Progress.

28 February 2015: Malcolm Boyd dies at 91
The US Episcopal News Service reports 'The Rev. Canon Malcolm Boyd – whose human rights advocacy shaped most of his 30 books including the 1965 best-seller Are You Running with Me, Jesus? – died February 27.' The Los Angeles Times published this obituary.

27 February 2015: New bishop for Diocese of Sabah
The Anglican Communion News Service tells us the House of Bishops of the Province of South East Asia has appointed Bishop Melter Tais as the 6th Diocesan Bishop of Sabah.

25 February 2015: NZ diocesan bishop demoted for racist remarks
The Press (New Zealand) reports 'An Anglican cleric who offended Jews and Muslims last month, has been demoted from some of his roles.' Those roles include being the Diocesan Bishop of Te Waipounamu.

21 February 2015: Bishop election in Central Gulf CoastAl.com and The Living Church reported the election of the Revd James Russell Kendrick
as the fourth bishop for the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast (US).

19 February 2015: Manila cathedral celebrates 108 years
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS)
reported
on the celebrations at the Cathedral of St Mary and St John which is 108 years old.
The cathedral is also the National Cathedral of The Episcopal Church in the Philippines.

18 February 2015: RIP: Canon Kaswaya of Malawi
The Nyasa Times reported the passing of Canon Constantine Kaswaya. In addition to being
ordained to the priesthood in 1979, Kaswaya had served
as Public Affairs Chairperson, Diocesan Secretary, Vicar General, and Bishop of Southern Malawi.

16 February 2015: Ugandan national day to honour Anglican martyrJanani Luwum
was Archbishop of Uganda during the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin. In 1977, after protesting
against arbitrary killings by the regime, he was himself arrested and murdered. He was recently
celebrated at a gathering of 20,000 people in Mucwini, Kitgum, at which the Archbishop
of York, the Most Revd John Sentamu (who fled his native Uganda during Amin's time), preached.
Anglican Communion News Service reports that the current Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Revd Stanley Ntagali, has
called for the anniversary of his death to be declared a national holiday. The Ugandan president
responded to this by pledging to support the memory of Archbishop Janani Luwum in a number
of ways including declaring 16 February a national holiday.

15 February 2015: Passing of a Melbourne bishop
The Age (Melbourne) reports the relatively sudden death of the Rt Revd Barbara Darling, who recently retired as assisting bishop of Melbourne,
and who was both Australia's first woman ordained to the clergy and Melbourne's first female bishop.

13 February 2015: Orphaned and possibly Norman font needs a home in NZ
The Otago Daily Times tells the story of a baptismal font of somewhat uncertain but probably ancient provenance that needs to find
a new home in the Diocese of Dunedin.

13 February 2015: Anglican Church of Kenya buying rice in anticipation of famine
The Standard (Nairobi) tells us 'Following massive crop failure in most parts of Kirinyaga County due to inadequate short rains late last year, the Anglican Church is buying rice to mitigate the looming famine.'

12 February 2015: Church of England General Synod
The General Synod met in London this week. Thinking Anglicans has its usual comprehensive coverage here.

10 February 2015: New Bishop for Southwell and Nottingham
The British Prime Minister's Office has announced 'The Queen has approved the nomination of the Right Reverend Paul Gavin Williams, BA, Area Bishop of Kensington, in the Diocese of London, for election as Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham in succession to the Right Reverend Paul Roger Butler, BA, on his translation to the See of Durham on 20 January 2014.' The Church Times
report is found
here.

10 February 2015: Some 'Prince Bishops' still in palaces
The Telegraph tells us one in four English bishops still has a chauffeur and six of every ten English bishops still live in 'large official residences'. We recall a report a decade or so ago that English bishops' budgets included £100 per year for dry cleaning their mitres, so we suppose this is progress.

9 February 2015: Passing of beloved Maori priest
Maoritelevision.com tells of the passing of Apirana Mahuika, a well-known and well-beloved priest in Aotereoa. Anglican Taonga's
report is here.

6 February 2015: ABC on defending all faiths
The Church Times
reported
on remarks by Archbishop Welby at the launch of the Religious Liberty Commission.
'If we believe in freedom of religion, what is good for one is good for all.
Taking responsibility for someone else's freedom is as important as protecting our own.'

6 February 2015: Church's position on three-parent embryos is 'nuanced'
The Church Times reported
on statements made by the Church of England concerning mitochondrial donation, a new in vitro fertilisation technology. Draft regulations and ethical issues were debated and voted on in the House of Commons.
A related article was published earlier in the week.

5 February 2015: Is technology accelerating clergy burnout?
Lancaster Online (Pennsylvania)
featured a column discussing research on ministry-focused
'burnout' experienced by Millennials which is purportedly 'happening more regularly,
and at an accelerated pace—aided and abetted by technologies that make it
difficult to ever tune out or turn off'.

4 February 2015: From New Zealand: Will we fulfill
'the greater promise'?
Anglican Communion News Service posted Anglican Taonga's
story
of Archbishop Brown Turei's challenge on the eve of the 175th anniversary of the signing of
the Treaty of Waitangi: Whether Maori and Pakeha can find the faith and courage to fulfill
'the greater promise of the Treaty of Waitangi: One people, united'.

3 February 2015: Bishop nominees announced in Dallas
Episcopal News Service (ENS)
reported the names of the four nominees for bishop in the
Diocese of Dallas. Petition nominations
are being received through 16 February.

2 February 2015: RIP: Canon Michael Saward
Christian Today
reported
Canon Michael Saward has died while on holiday in Switzerland. He was an author and accomplished hymn writer
in addition to serving in the Church of England. His final full-time post was as Canon Treasurer of St Paul's
Cathedral in London, from which he retired in 2000. His obituary in The Telegraph is
found
here.

2 February 2015: Challenges for the church in Québec
In the 1860s in Québec, about 40% of the population spoke English; today about
one percent of the people speak English at home. That changing
demographic is reflected in the most of the churches of the Diocese of
Québec have small congregations, and over half expect to close or be
amalgamated within five years. CBC
visits
the church in Trois-Rivières, where many of the elderly
parishioners have come by way of other churches that have closed their
doors in recent years.

31 January 2015: SE Florida elects coadjutor
At this weekend's electing convention,
the Diocese of Southeast Florida, elected
Dean Peter Eaton as Bishop Coadjutor. The diocesan press release is found
here.

30 January 2015: Sexism: The original sin of the church
The Huffington Post's All Together podcast this week featured host
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, executive editor of HuffPost Religion, discussing continuing
sexism in the Christian Church with four female religious leaders:
the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church,
the recent US ambassador for Religious Freedom,
the President of Union Theological Seminary,
and Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister. One can read the overview and stream the
podcast from
this link.

30 January 2015: Church buildings benefit all
The Church Times reported
on the results of a poll for National Churches Trust that showed most British people
see church buildings as an important part of the country's heritage and history,
and a useful community asset.

29 January 2015: Priory celebrates 900th birthday
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS)
reportedEwenny Priory Church in Wales is celebrating its 900th birthday this year.
The church is acknowledged as the best-preserved example of a Norman priory church in South Wales.

28 January 2015: Diocese asks suffragan to resign
The Washington Post
reported
the Standing Committee of
the Diocese of Maryland has sent a letter to Heather Cook, the suffragan bishop facing charges
related to an accident which killed a cyclist, requesting her resignation. The Episcopal News
Service report can be found here.

26 January 2015: Bishop of Stockport consecrated
Anglican Communion News Service
reported
the Rt Revd Libby Lane has been consecrated as the first female bishop in the Church of England
in a packed service at York Minster attended by more than 100 bishops from the Church of England
and women bishops from across the Anglican Communion. The report includes a statement she gave
shortly after the consecration. A snippet: 'My consecration service is not really about me. With echoes of practice which has been in place for hundreds of years in the church, it is a reminder that what I am about to embark on is shared by the bishops around me, by those who have gone before me and those who will come after.'

26 January 2015: Bishop of Limerick & Killaloe consecrated
Anglican Communion News Service
reported
the Rt Revd Kenneth Kearon was consecrated as the new Bishop of Limerick & Killaloe
at a service in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd
Dr Barry Morgan preached. The sermon is part of the report. Here is an excerpt to whet your
curiosity: 'Life as a bishop is like a ride on a zip wire … '

26 January 2015: Bible initiative report available electronically
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS)
reported the
Bible in the Life of the Church
initiative has made its report, Deep Engagement, Fresh Discovery, and educational resources
available for e-readers, tablets or straight download.

25 January 2015: Priest tells of kamikaze pilot training during WWII
Stars and Stripes reports the story told by retired Bishop of Okinawa, the Rt Revd Paul Saneaki Nakamura, about his training as a young man to be a kamikaze pilot attacking the United States.

24 January 2015: Liverpool Cathedral welcomes Ethiopian Christians for festival
The Liverpool Echo reported
hundreds of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians gathered at the Cathedral for a 2,000 year old festival in the
Timkat tradition celebrating Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan. It was a 24-hour spectacular of singing,
chanting and prayer.

23 January 2015: Archbishop of South East Asia laments 'Allah' court ruling
The Borneo Post quotes The Most Revd Bolly Lapok, Archbishop of South East Asia, describing the negative impact on Anglican life and worship
in Malaysia of last year's court ruling that only Muslims may use the word 'Allah' to refer to God.

22 January 2015: RIP: Theologian Marcus Borg
The Associated Press
and Religion News Services reported the death of Marcus Borg,
a theologian and Bible scholar who was also a fellow with the controversial Jesus Seminar. The Oregonian
published an obituary with some service details.

22 January 2015: Lichfield seeks to hire pastor for online congregations
The US Episcopal News Service reports that the Diocese of Lichfield (Church of England) is 'advertising for a lay or ordained diocesan pastor to connect and support people online'. The posted job description observes 'If Christian mission requires a commitment to going where people are and speaking the language they speak, then we cannot afford not to have a focussed and engaged online presence if we wish to reach new generations with the gospel.' We believe that the Diocese of Oxford tried something similar a decade ago, but the world wasn't ready for it.

22 January 2015: Sentamu exercises 'gracious restraint' over traditionalist bishop's consecration
The Church Times reports on the abstention by the Archbishop of York from the consecration of the soon-to-be Bishop of Burnley. Archbishop Sentamu will not lay on hands at the consecration of the Bishop-elect of Burnley, Fr Philip North CMP, in February. See the discussion on Thinking Anglicans regarding the sordid symbolism behind this seemingly small non-event.

18 January 2015: New Testament translated into Kikamba John Mbiti
is a Kenyan Anglican priest, now living in Switzerland, where he had been director of the
Ecumenical Institute of Bossey. His translation of the New Testament into Kikamba has recently
been launched by the Kenya Literature Bureau. The translation is unusual, in that it has been
written by an African rather than by a missionary, and that it is based on the Greek
rather than the English New Testament. Ecumenical News
reports on the launch.

18 January 2015: Liverpool Cathedral: 11 things you never knew
The Liverpool Echo
published
a compilation of factoids about Liverpool Cathedral and its
hidden treasures.

16 January 2015: Two new bishops in Uganda
ACNS
reported the election of two new bishops in the Church of Uganda.
The Revd Canon Eridard Kironde Nsubuga
will be bishop for the Luweero Diocese, and the Revd Paul Kiptoo Masaba was elected
for the Sebei Diocese.

15 January 2015: Stained glass report from Australia
ABC News reported for the first time in its 130 year history the Cathedral
in Grafton has its doors locked to the public. This action was taken
after an incident on Monday (12 January) when a mentally ill woman threw a brick at large
heritage listed stained glass windows, smashing the central panel.

13 January 2015: Stained glass report from Canada
Clarington This Week (Canada) reported on the restoration of a century-old window in
Newcastle's St George's Church. The restoration was funded in part by a grant from the local
government.

9 January 2015: About the attack on Charlie Hebdo
Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) published a statement by the Archbishop
of Canterbury. Episcopal News Service (ENS) published a report entitled,
Religious leaders condemn Paris terrorist attacks. ENS also posted
a statement from the Rt Revd Pierre Whalon, Bishop for the Convocation of
Episcopal Churches in Europe. Church Times also ran a report on the incident. The Derby (UK) Telegraph
published an op-ed by the Revd Alasdair Kay, known locally as 'Street Pastor', in which he
says, 'As an Anglican minister, I live and work in Normanton, where large parts of the
population in the parish where I serve are of the Muslim faith. This attack has deeply
misrepresented the faith that my neighbours hold.'

9 January 2015: The Bishop, the Cyclist and a Death on the Road
The New York Times was one of many to report on Maryland's (US) Bishop Suffragan
Heather Cook who was charged for allegedly causing a fatal car accident in which she
temporarily left the scene after striking and killing a bicyclist. ENS published
an account of this tragic incident as well.

8 January 2015: Losing faith in JP Morgan
Bloomberg reported
two US Episcopal churches have taken legal action against US bank, JPMorgan Chase, entrusted to manage
funds to support the churches' good works. The churches claim the bank put its own financial
interests first leading to a 'surreptitious transfer of wealth' from the church to the bank. One of the
churches involved is Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis.
Declining assets and income from the trust, founded by pharmaceuticals scion Eli Lilly in the
1970s, forced the church to pare its HIV, hunger and domestic-abuse programs.

8 January 2015: Rowan Williams on preparing for one's final years
The Telegraph (UK)
published
a piece about Rowan Williams who is patron of the
Abbeyfield Society,
a charity
dedicated to making the lives of older people easier.

7 January 2015: Sub-Saharan Christians face growing threats
The International Business Times
reported on the 2015 World Watch List published by
Open Doors, an organisation that supports persecuted Christians worldwide.
For the third year in a row, the majority of African countries studied have
risen in the ranks as danger zones for Christians.

PRIOR
TO 7 January 2015: Older news stories are headlined
in our Archive Pages. And don't send any email to newsTrap@anglicansonline.org.
We mention it only as spam bait, and assume all mail sent to it is spam.